The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-01-22

VERSALI5T OF Dec. 10, asking my al
tention to certain things, either en-
braced, or supposed to be embraced, in
what I have said of the Faith of the
Fathers. The readers of this article
should understand that after receiving
your structures, which were published in
the same number with my fourth artl-
Gle, I deferred answering at once, not
knowing but you might wish to modify
or amend some of your statements, and
30 waited till the next issue of the pa
per, to see if you had anything to recall.
Finding nothing from your pen, wrote
you to see if you had read even my
third article, at the time Of writing
yours. I now learn from you that you
had not, but still wonder that you
should seem so oblivious of what was
contained in the second. You should
not have understood me as opposed to
future discipline; and you certainly did
not find any such expression as you
seem to quote, that there can be no
sin after death, because there is no
temptation after death" 1 give temp
tation no such enslaving power. The
nearest find to your expression, is the
following: "There are those who cannot
quite see how sin is to continue forever
where there is no temptation to SIM"
You remind me that my articles
should have been the Faith Of some of
the Fathers. 1 thought 1 stated the
exceptions fairly, in saying, "Some of
them were not men Of very positive
ideas; that Paul Dean and those like
him, were not considering it in the way
Of their professional duty to say very
much about their peculiar views, ETC."
I spoke of the views of Reilly, and Muir
ray, and Winchester, giving them the
benefit of whatever singularity may be
claimed for them, declaring that they
had their own individual opinions,
which did not represent US, and which
we were not expected to adopt. OF the
small number of those who did for a
time make stand for what they called
Restorationism, we know they disballd-
ed after a little, and there never has
been any organ of theirs to build on any
such foundation.
I notice you say, sit is the mind,
and not the body, that SINS" Of course
this is so. All sin is in the intent of
evil. 1t is the purpose to do wrong.
But if 1 understand you, you no more
believe that men will follow sin as
pursuit in the spirit life, than / myself
do. Here, in this world, men ''love
darkness rather than light because their
deeds are evil" But in the hereafter
life their loves will not be the same,
and for the same reason. 1t is true
you say, 81 do not discuss the question
as to whether the flesh is the cause or
occasion of all sin, only saying that l
do not believe it," But still you affirm,
1--WE belive that sin will be impossible
to man in the resurrection state" This
is no trifling admission, as will be per-
ceived, when we come to consider what
sin is, and wherein its punishment con-
sists. AS reason for sin being ''im-
possible in the resurrection state" you
tell us that "the soul will be educated
and disciplined into the law and life
of God" l do not see why this is not
can tell us when, and where this is to
be. Is yours the theory of an interme-
diate state between death and the re-
surrection. And here, on that word,
impossible, allow me to remark that
what you have to say about physical,
and moral impossibility, and the free
dom of the will, is time wasted on me.
1t does not cut any figure, as you your
self will clearly perceive, from having
read my fourth article, in which 1 quote
from Father Ballou, and make the
statement that none of the fathers ever
taught any compulsory methods of saw
ing men; that it is by our own volun-
tary agency that we are to be brought
into conformity to the divine agency.
| moreover said distinctly, in answer to
the objection that such views as l had
expressed takes away all mans free
dom of choice. sit is much nearer the
truth to say, that it takes away all mans
love of sin. 1t changes that love of sin
and evil by converting it to the love of
the truth, and the love of God, bringing
it into the choice of good; and it does
it in no mechanical or arbitrary way"
1 gave my own views, that the change
of worlds would enlarge the sphere and
conditions of our life, and our minds
being opened to see things in vastly
different manner, we would experience
what was pleased to call an ''everlast-
ing quickening," in the presence of an
effulgence that outshines all the glory
of this world. The resurrection is not
only the "being made alive" but it is
going forward, and being born into the
Christ life, and into the open field of
mans free choice. That is to say, the
soul in its willing subsection, is not
forced in anything, any more than Paul
was in his conversion to Christianity
and you will recollect that he was caught
I'M only to the third heavens, What if